WHO on virus treatment

BERN, Switzerland (CNN) – The World Health Organization said Tuesday that some treatments appear to be limiting the severity or length of the COVID-19 disease and that it was focusing on learning more about four or five of the most promising ones.

The Geneva-based WHO is leading a global initiative to develop safe and effective vaccines, tests and drugs to prevent, diagnose and treat COVID-19.

The respiratory illness has infected more than four million people around the world.

Clinical data released last month on Remdesivir raised hopes it might be an effective treatment.

Several studies looking at combinations of antiviral medicines have also suggested they may help patients fight off the virus.

WHO Spokesperson Margaret Harris said, “We do have some treatments that are seen to be in very early studies limiting the severity or the length of the illness, but we do not have anything that’s proven to kill or stop the virus. So, we have to assume that we do not have a treatment at this time that can kill or stop the virus. We do have potentially positive data coming out, but we need to see more data to be 100% confident that we can say this treatment over that treatment.”